Penn punishes Marian

September 06, 2008|RON HARAMIA Tribune Correspondent

MISHAWAKA -- Rumors of Penn's demise have been greatly exaggerated. Just ask Marian. Led by a punishing ground game and productive passing attack, the Kingsmen dismantled the Knights 42-0 at Otolski Field in the Northern Indiana Conference opener for both squads. Going in, Penn (1-2, 1-0 NIC) was facing the prospect of starting a season 0-3 for the first time since 1980 -- its losses by one point to Valparaiso in overtime and by a touchdown to state power Ben Davis. Brandon Drudge scored on two long runs (35, 72) in the first quarter to set the stage for a big night. The senior finished with 175 yards on just 12 carries, 122 coming in the first quarter alone. "He runs hard doesn't he?" asked Penn skipper Cory Yeoman, who saw the Kingsmen run their amazing NIC winning streak to 145 straight. "There's not a lot of flash from our backs, but they all run hard. All our guys up front did a great job opening up the holes for them -- (Ross) Bollinger, (Ben) Walters, (Chris) Summers, (Steve) Denman, (Evan) Estep, and (Garrick) Dikos -- they all did a good job." Penn finished with 324 yards on the ground and scored on six of its seven possessions. The Kingsmen never attempted a punt. Alan Sinclair was 6-for-6 on PATs. Junior signal-caller Jared Melander also had a big night, connecting on 6-of-11 passes with three TDs. Jason Keough had two touchdown receptions -- a well-executed 26-yard screen pass on third-and-11 from Melander and a 69-yarder from reserve Randy Frederick for Penn's final points. Garrick Dikos and Josh Levan also hauled in touchdown passes. "The kid (Melander) can throw the ball, he just needs to see the game speed and get his reps in," Yeoman added about his young quarterback. Tom Krueger rushed for 81 tough yards on 20 carries to lead Marian (0-3, 0-1 NIC), but the Knights did not complete a pass in three attempts. The home team's best chance to score came on its final possession, covering 67 yards on 16 plays before being stopped on downs at the Penn 7. The Kingsmen host Brother Rice (Mich.) next week, while Marian travels to Clay. PENN 42, MARIAN 0 At Mishawaka Penn 14 14 14 0 -- 42 Marian 0 0 0 0 -- 0 P -- Brandon Drudge 35 run (Alan Sinclair kick) P -- Drudge 72 run (Sinclair kick) P -- Garrick Dikos 5 pass from Jared Melander (Sinclair kick) P -- Jason Keough 26 pass from Melander (Sinclair kick) P -- Josh Levan 5 pass from Melander (Sinclair kick) P -- Keough 69 pass from Randy Frederick (Sinclair kick) Penn Marian First downs 17 12 Yards rushing 324 173 Yards passing 163 0 Passing 8-13-0 0-3-0 Punting 0-0 4-38.8 Fumbles lost 0 0 Yards penalized 3-40 2-10